1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a signaling device, in particular for industrial purposes, e.g. for signaling various operating and/or malfunctioning conditions, for electrical machines, preferably automatic machines, composed or several, at least two optical and/or acoustic signal transmitters, that are arranged essentially linearly next to each other and/or one above the other and connected to a power source via power lines, the signal transmitters respectively having a case, in which power consumers for generating an optical and/or acoustic signal, e.g. a lighting means, are arranged, wherein adjacently arranged cases are interconnected via a coupling member, and wherein the power consumers can be connected to each other and/or to the power lines.
2. Discussion of the Background
Such signaling devices are known from the state-of-the-art. E.g., DE 90 10 187 U1 discloses an optical indicating device, in particular for industrial purposes, having a long stretched-out, hollow case with at least two longitudinal bands or sections that are at least partially transparent. In this case, a lamp supporting structure is inserted supporting at least two lamps, which are assigned to respective positions in the case bands and electrically connected to power connections arranged in a supporting structure end zone. Furthermore, this known indicating device has at least one electrical connector that is connected to said lamp supporting structure end zone and arranged so as to enable the electrical connection of the lamps and the circuit devices arranged outside the case. The case is composed of several linearly arranged sections that are screwed together. When replacing the lighting means arranged in the lamp supporting structures, it is therefore necessary to open the case at one end and pull out the lamp supporting structure. The drawback of this known device is that light protection between the individual case sections is not possible, so that in particular from a large distance, it cannot be seen which lighting means inside the device is shining. Furthermore, in the event of failures in the lamp supporting structure, the whole lamp supporting structure has to be replaced.
Another signaling device is known from DE 22 11 801 B2. This signaling device is composed of several identical superimposed individual lamps, which respectively comprise a transparent hood being fastened to a horizontal separation wall, whereon a light bulb is seated. Furthermore, feed lines traversing the individual lamps are provided, the ends of which are formed as contact devices for adjacent individual lamps. The separation wall has flexible connection devices that, by rotating the separation wall in relation to the cylindrical hood, in a certain position grip behind shoulders thereof. In addition to the two feed lines for the lighting means of an individual lamp, other feed lines are provided for individual lamps located above.
Finally, FR 1 526 306 discloses a signaling device with several superimposed case sections, wherein respectively one lighting means is inserted. The superimposed case sections are arranged between a base and a lid, the base being connected to the lid via threaded rods and/or screws.
Based on this state-of-the-art, it is an object of the invention to provide a generic signaling device, of sample construction and that can essentially be assembled without bolt-on connections, wherein preferably simplified maintenance and expansion operations can be performed, in particular in view of replacing defective lighting means and/or other electrical and/or electronic components, without requiring almost complete disassembly and without the risk of damaging power lines during maintenance and completion operations.
To achieve this object, provision is made for the power consumers to be arranged in mountings and the mountings to have a conductive device detachably interconnecting the power consumers of adjacent cases.
A signaling device developed according to this teaching in particular has the advantage that the superimposed cases can be separated effortlessly at each transition between two cases by removing the coupling member, wherein spreading apart the adjacent cases thus detached also allows the conductive devices in the adjacent cases to be separated. For this purpose, it is not necessary to mutually rotate both adjacent cases or to undo a screwed connection. Subsequently, the adjacent cases are separated in the previously described manner, so that e.g. the conductive device in the separated case can be replaced or completed or modified with regard to its electrotechnical configuration.
Regarding the case design, it is provided according to another feature of the invention that each case is pot-shaped and composed of a cylindrical hollow tube section, limited at one side by a lid. Preferably, the tube section and the lid are formed integrally and made of plastic, preferably by the deep-drawing method.
Furthermore, provision is made for the lid to be light-proof, so that light energy is not transmitted from one case, in which a lighting means is shining, into an adjacent case, in which the lighting means is not supplied with electric energy.
The tube section is made of a translucent material, in particular color-dyed, preferably of ductile hard plastic.
Furthermore, provision is made for the lid to have openings for routing the conductive device or parts thereof to provide secure power transmission from one case into the adjacent one.
In order to avoid pollution, such as dust and in particular moisture, from penetrating, a seal can be placed on the case at the shoulder, the seal water-and/or airproofing the transitional area between adjacent cases. This also prevents corrosion at the electrical and/or electronic components, in particular metal conductors.
According to another feature of the invention, provision is made for allowing the case to be connected to a case base, which can be fastened directly or indirectly to the device to be monitored. Furthermore, provision is made for allowing the case to be connected preferably at the lid to a closing lid, which can be fastened to the case by means of a coupling member. This allows, the closing lid to be easily fastened at the uppermost case. When the inventive signaling device is to he expanded, the closing lid can be removed once the closing member has been detached and another case stacked up, before placing the closing lid on the stacked up case and fixing in thereto via a coupling member. The coupling member previously arranged between the closing lid and the uppermost case and detached can now be used either for connecting the two uppermost adjacent cases or for connecting the closing lid to the uppermost case. Consequently, as spare parts or expansion parts for expanding an inventive signaling device, only one case and one coupling member can be provided. Of course, the electrical and/or electronic components arranged inside the case are also part of such an expansion module.
The conductive device preferably has, at opposite ends, at least one plug and at least one socket, which are interconnected electrically. In this embodiment, the assembly of the inventive signaling device is considerably simplified, because by mutually assembling adjacent cases, the conductive devices are interconnected as a plug-in connection. In this case, the conductive device can either be permanently connected to the case and stacked simultaneously or, in a first step, the conductive device with its plug can be plugged into the socket of the adjacent case, before pulling the case over the conductive device, so that the socket of this case in turn is ready to receive the plug of the next conductive device. At any rate, this results in a considerably simplified assembly, especially because bolt-on connections between the individual cases can be omitted.
Plug and socket are preferably developed with multiple poles, so that through different pole configurations, the various lighting means or acoustic signaling means can be controlled in the various cases of the inventive signaling device, without requiring additional power lines. Furthermore, the conductive devices or printed boards can receive electronic components, such as capacitive, inductive or ohmic resistors as well as transistors or the like, in order to form certain circuits inside a case. Consequently, for the inventive signaling device, it is possible that, in addition to purely electrical signaling devices, electronically controlled signaling devices can be used, wherein the electronics of such signaling devices can be housed in the corresponding case. Consequently, it is possible to combine electrically and electronically controlled signaling devices, wherein the subsequent integration of electronic signaling devices in an already existing inventive signaling device is possible, without therefore requiring considerable interventions in the overall structure of this signaling device.
According to another feature of the invention, provision is made for the mounting to be essentially U-shaped and to have two legs as well as a leg-linking bar. Preferably, the power consumer is arranged and fixed between the two legs. The socket is provided at the free end of one mounting leg.
In particular, the mounting is formed of two pieces, wherein both mounting halves can preferably be assembled by means of at least one snap connection. The advantage of this embodiment is that screwing the two halves can be omitted and by dividing the mounting into two pieces, the conductive device can be assembled easily in the mounting, wherein the two halves can be plugged together by interposing the conductive device so that the conductive device is maintained positively or nonpositively between the two mounting halves.
According to another feature of the invention, provision is made for the two halves to have respectively two snap-in hooks and two snap-in recesses. These fixing members interact respectively, i.e. that each snap-in hook of one half is engaged in a snap-in recess of the opposite half. Here it is an advantage to arrange the snap-in hooks at diametrically opposing edges of the mounting halves.
Moreover, the inventive signaling device provides for a housing for a signal transmitter to be arranged at the mounting and preferably and to have an essentially light-proof board, which together with the case defines a chamber, wherein the signal transmitter, preferably the lighting means, is arranged. This embodiment has the advantage that, on the one hand, due to the light-proof lid, and on the other hand, due to the light-proof board, the case is light-proof in both axial directions with regard to adjacent cases, so that the light rays emitted by lighting means arranged in the case cannot penetrate into an adjacent case. As a result, an observer can clearly distinguish the light signals.
The board is preferably arranged at the leg-linking bar of the mounting, wherein it has been found to be advantageous for the board to be circular in shape.
In an alternative embodiment of the inventive signaling device, it is provided for the conductive device to have several, at least two conductor strips. These two mutually separated conductor strips are for supplying the signaling device with the required electric energy. Both conductor strips are integrated in the power consumer and usually embedded into plastic.
According to another feature of the invention, it is provided that the conductive device is made of two pieces, wherein at least one piece of the conductive device has several conductor strips. In this embodiment, it is possible advantageously to use the conductor strips for controlling different power consumers in the individual cases arranged one above the other or next to each other. Preferably, the conductor strips are unwound once or twice in their longitudinally extending plane, in the direction of the surface normal of this plane and/or in a direction extending perpendicularly thereto.
Moreover, it is provided that the conductor strips at one end are formed as plug contacts and at the opposite end at least partially as flexible sockets. The flexible sockets permit secure fitting of the socket contacts at the plug contacts of the adjacent conductive device.
Finally, according to another feature of the invention it is provided that at least part of the conductor strips are divided into several poles, at least at one end. For this purpose, e.g. one conductor strip can be developed so as to slave, on the one hand, a pole for connecting to a lighting means holder as well as one or several poles for connecting to an electrical or electronic circuit. Finally, it can also be provided that in addition to the poles mentioned above, an additional pole is provided, that is also developed as an flexible socket according to the meaning above.